“Off The Map” Looks Promising

Wednesday, Jan. 12 on ABC at 10 p.m. the season premiere of Off the Map aired. Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers, producers of Grey’s Anatomy, bring a new series about five doctors in tropical South America. In this touching series viewers follow the characters as they try to rebuild their lives and move beyond their haunting pasts.

Three young doctors, Lily, Mina, and Tommy, arrive at the small village of La Ciudad de las Estrelles- the city of stars. Their purpose: to work under the direction of Ben, Zee, and Otis at the understaffed La Clinica Cruz del Sur. In this clinic the team attempts the efficiently and diligently care for their patients while adjusting to herbal medicine in a third world work environment.

Lily (Caroline Dhavernas) is an emergency medicine resident with a dark secret involving her boyfriend and the mistake that cost him his life. Her first day at the clinic she accompanies Ben (Martin Henderson), founder of the clinic, to the mountains to save an older man trapped on a zip line. In this rescue mission, Lily has to use her experienced Girl Scout skills to ensure the man is brought safely to the ground.

Mina (Mamie Gummer), the infectious disease resident remains at the clinic with Zee (Valerie Cruz), herbal medicine expert, to attend the overflowing rush of patients. Mina has a hard time keeping her patience with the patients due to her lack of bed side manners and low proficiency in Spanish.

Tommy (Zach Gilford) is the skilled plastic surgeon but partied his way through college. Due to his lack of motivation and strict interest on rest and relaxation, he immediately gets on Otis’ (Jason George) bad side. The Naval Medical Officer sends the young man to a tuberculosis infected household in a nearby village. Here Tommy confronts the husband of the house who refuses to let accept treatment.

The premiere episode was non-stop action with life saving surgery, rescue missions, emotional encounters, and quick adjustments to the underdeveloped medical procedures of a jungle clinic.

“Practicing tropical medicine in a third-world country is a different game…. You don’t have high tech, you don’t have big pharmaâ€”you have your brain, you have your instincts,” Ben Keeton said to the new doctors upon their arrival.